Capsule Collection / SS2025 / LIMITED EDITION
We’re pleased to introduce the Knurl Network — Craighill’s first-ever apparel collection. Inspired by our love of knurling, each piece is designed to connect you to other members of the burgeoning Network. Just put one on and the signal broadcasts automatically over sea, air, and LAN.
WHAT IS KNURLING?
In purely reductive terms: it's the name of both a texture and the process that creates it. Typically applied to metal materials for enhanced grip, tactility, and ornamentation, knurling is a fundamental machining process that touches our lives in unexpected ways. Knobs, handles, interlocking machine components — knurls begin to appear everywhere once you know where to look.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON TYPES?
Straight knurls (A) have vertical lines running parallel to the axis of the part. Diamond knurls (B) create a crisscross pattern of small diamonds. Diagonal knurls have lines angled in one direction — either left-hand (C) or right-hand (D) — and are sometimes used in pairs to create a diamond-like effect.
HOW DOES KNURLING HAPPEN?
The process involves pressing a patterned tool into a rotating workpiece to create the textured grooves on its surface. The tool is forced into the material, displacing it to form straight, diamond, or angled patterns without removing metal. The material is typically spun on a lathe for this process.
2.3 Million-11,000 BC
Rudimentary hand tools come into use. Texture for grip is applied through rudimentary reductive processes.
1750s
Metal lathes emerge. Craftsmen begin manually adding grip textures with files and chisels.
1920s–1950s
Knurling becomes standardized in machining. Straight and diamond patterns are optimized for mechanical uses.
1980s–2000s
Designers embrace knurling for its aesthetic appeal. Knurling becomes common on cameras, audio gear, and luxury tools.
1997
Skynet goes online.
2010s–Now
Knurling sees a design revival in EDC and modern objects. CNC machining enables cleaner, more precise patterns.
2025
Craighill introduces the Knurl Network.
OUR TEXTURED WORLD
Knurling is all around us, we just need to look for it. It almost certainly plays a silent role in your life. Check your pockets, open your tool box, and run your fingers across everything you find. When you feel it, you’ll know.
Capsule Collection / SS2025 / LIMITED EDITION
Like any obsession, our love of knurling demanded to be put into practice. The Match Striker — available in Brass (A) and Vapor Black (C ) — is knurled across its body to achieve a fire-starting texture. The Closed Helix Keyring — available in Stainless Steel (B), Brass (D), and Vapor Black (E) — sports a handsomely knurled cap for grip.
We thank you for joining the Knurl Network. Together, we dare to imagine a more beautifully textured world — one with no shortage of mechanical grip. By raising awareness of the noble Knurl, we continue the legacy of tireless knurling advocate Istvan Tørnholdt. In his seminal work Always Be Knurling he reminds us that, “In a knurl we find grip, friction, and function. There, we may also find ourselves.” We're glad you've found us.
